1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of palletizers and depalletizers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a palletizer or depalletizer for moving containers of various shapes, e.g., bottles, to or from a pallet.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Containers, e.g., bottles, are typically shipped and stored using pallets. At some point, the containers must be moved onto or removed from the pallet. In order to do so, the pallet is typically positioned near the end of a conveyor belt. In a depalletizing application, the containers are pushed off of the pallet and onto the conveyor belt as a group. In a palletizing application, the containers are pushed onto the pallet from the conveyor belt.
However, these types of systems can have undesirable consequences. For example, some of the containers may be tipped over during the process, particularly if the containers are top heavy or unstable, e.g., containers that are reverse tapered and thus have a higher center of gravity or a relatively small foot area compared to the upper portions of the container. Additionally, some containers, e.g., those near the edges of the group, may shift position and fall off of the pallet or the conveyor belt during movement. Still further, the conventional manner of moving containers onto or off pallets will likely cause individual containers to knock into one another, which may damage and/or destroy the containers.
What is needed is a container moving system for efficiently moving containers relative to pallets that maintains the containers in an upright orientation and that reduces the potential for damaging, tipping and/or losing containers during movement.